Assassination!
by Ryu-Kat
Summary: PG13 for homicide attempts.Galloping down the the forest path comes a arrogant elf on a black friesian stallion, the elf needs to get to Hyrule! Will she be able to complete her mission?
1. The Forest

Pit-pat, pit-pat.  
  
An unnamed being trotted through the forest, it looked around uneasily. The horse drew to a halt beneath the nervous one. It snorted and threw up his head.  
  
"Hush, shhh." the unknown rider soothed. It once again looked up and searched warily. *Where are they* in its head it wondered. "Better keep moving just in case, right boy?" it addressed the horse.  
  
Suddenly the dark woods opened into a bright clearing, startling both horse and rider as they walked into the unexpected light. The rider was revealed as a blonde elf.  
  
  
  
AN: cliffhanger, you could say, but the new chapter is up! I couldn't bear to leave you hanging! 


	2. The Forest Ends!

She shielded her eyes and put down the reins as they walked on. The elf urged the horse to a brisk trot as they headed toward the other side of the forest. She heard a noise behind them and started slightly. She picked up the reins again and picked up a fast canter, crouching in jockey's position. *If we could get to the castle without being seen, it will be a miracle* she thought hopelessly. They plunged into the safety of the dim forest, nearly ploughing over another elf on her mare.  
  
"Slow, down, bandit!" she laughed. Our first friend stiffened, pulled up her horse, and turned him on his haunches to face the new elf.  
  
Contempt dripped from her cold voice as she answered the careless comment. "Are you insinuating I am a thief?" Her head rose arrogantly over the frightened elf on her pony, "For I most surely am not, you see." She turned and galloped down the path on her black Friesian.  
  
"Wha. I just meant, well. you were in a hurry. wait!" The elf muttered, mouth agape, at the retreating back of her assaulter. The latter did not hear as she swept along the trail.  
  
*******************************  
  
*The nerve! Accusing me! Wait! I recognized that elf. No! I can't stop, not now. I must reach Hyrule! * She thought quickly as the dire task she was set to rose once again to mind.  
  
Our hero rode along at a great pace until she reached the end of the forest and the grandeur of Hyrule spread before her. As always, it took her breath away. She shook herself out of the trance the beauty of the land had put her under, realizing she had halted the great black one under her.  
  
She felt inside her many pockets, making sure each bit of her equipment was inside still. She felt the note from the master, pulling a face as she recognized the texture of his paper. They were her instructions, and they were clear. "Kill the one in my way. the only one obstructing the way to my rise to greatness. Link. signed. Gannondorf" She grimaced at the memory of the words, hearing each echoing word in her mind, spoken by Gannondorf. Not that she minded killing Link, of course. It would be great fun. It was just, she was being forced to, and by the one she hated most.  
  
The horse was put to a trot as they openly when up Hyrule Castle's front drive, unheeded. "Hyrule security sucks, doesn't it, Kat?" she asked the great black stallion; he snorted in amused agreement. "I mean, a huge black ominous horse trotting up the drive, not like I'm dressed for assassination, though," referring to her not-so-scary clothes, though some may think so, as she was dressed in men's clothes.  
  
She took Kat to the stable and called over an ostler. "Yo! Stable boy! Get a stall ready for him!" the surprised boy tried to take the reins from the assassin, but she withheld them. "No, I'll take care of him, I just need a stall." She rubbed Kat's wet head as they waited for the stall, crooning softly. She strode right in with the stallion when the ostler left. She gently removed the bit from his frothing mouth and the saddle off his dripping body, offering him a bit of cool water. She set to grooming him as he ate and drank. Once he was dry and content she blanketed him and said goodnight. She stepped into the darkness; she had spent a long time taking care of Kat.  
  
"That took longer than I thought," she frowned. "Not good. I think I missed supper," a cocky smile curved her lips as she began planning, all the while walking up to the castle. "Seeing as my comrades abandoned me, this task is mine and mine alone."  
  
She got in easily enough, seeing as she really was a good friend of the Princess Zelda. The elven assassin found she didn't miss dinner after all when she was escorted to the dining room.  
  
When she entered the princess stood up in surprise, crying out, "Ryu! I didn't know you were coming!"  
  
Ryu grinned, she knew she was going to enjoy this visit a lot more than Linkie-Boy and Zelda would.  
  
  
  
AN: did you like it? My first Zelda fic! She's not really a heartless assassin, you'll see! (eventually) You'll see more of the pony-rider later, I think. R&R! 


	3. Headaches

Ryu politely greeted everyone, eyeing the one in green, Link. He caught her eye and they locked on for a moment, one cold pair of eyes to one pair of soft, curious ones. She broke the stare by sitting down next to the princess and beginning a conversation. Link, who quietly moved to the other side of Ryu, kept tapping her back to get her attention, while she waved her hand absentmindedly at him. After Zelda finished giving her the latest news, Ryu turned around and said aggrevatedly to Link, "What?"  
  
He attempted to find more out on who she was, but Ryu closely guarded herself, fabricating a web of lies to convince him she was just an old friend of Zelda's come for a visit from the country. He finally seemed satisfied but kept a close watch on Ryu, while she kept one on him. Anytime they had to talk to the other they were rather short and a slight hint of aggression was noticeable in their voices. Zelda watched this with amusement, seeing as how two of her best friends were testing each other to their limits. The two weren't so very different at all, and not only in looks. Their personalities were alike, though they wouldn't admit it.  
  
Already supper was ending, and the darkness outside was complete. Ryu and Link had succeeded in giving the other a headache and Princess Zelda a plan.  
  
A/N: short, I know. I have up to chapter 7 written though. See you later! 


	4. A Confused Link

After dinner Princess Zelda offered to ready Ryu a room, but she declined. "I can't, I left Kat at the stables," Ryu said as she began to hurry off to said building.  
  
"You left someone at the stable? Why didn't she come to dinner?" Link asked bewilderedly.  
  
"Link. . . Kat is a he. . . and he's her horse," Zelda said, rolling her eyes at Link's ignorance. "She usually hangs out at the stable at night," she said, walking up the stairs leading to her room.  
  
Link made a small noise of understanding, then a sudden question struck him. "Uh, where do you know Ryu from, Zelda? And why by the mages does she sleep in the stables?" he called after her.  
  
"I knew her a long time ago. . . " She said softly, "then she disappeared for the longest time. . ." she trailed off. "And she's always been protective of that horse, she'd never leave him alone longer than she did tonight," the princess stated more firmly. "I knew she wouldn't take the room, I'd just thought I'd ask," said the pink-clad girl.  
  
"Ah. . ." he sat in thought for a moment. "Wait! Did you say her horse is a stallion? And. . . she named it. . . Kat?!" he said indecorously. He threw up his hands in frustration. "I'll never understand her!"  
  
Zelda closed the conversation by turning her back on Link and resumed climbing the stairs. "Go to bed, Link," she said, waving over her shoulder.  
  
He nodded dumbly, (A/N: he sure is dumb when he's sleepy, isn't he?) yawned, and went to his room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As Zelda got into bed, a plan was forming in her royal head. *I'll make them take a journey together to. . . uh, well, I'll decide the task later. . . * she thought as she drifted to sleep, a smile upon her face.  
  
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A/N: well, in case you cant guess, I don't like princess Zelda very much. . . Im really not sure what Im gonna do. . . but I think I know. I don't know if this idea is original because the only Zelda stories ive read are HealerAriel's, I think they're really good. I really wouldn't know. . . o, well. I hope you let me know what you think. . . R&R! 


	5. A Near Slip, and See you Later Maybe

The next morning Ryu came up to the dining hall, fully dressed in her men's clothes. Zelda and Link rolled their eyes at her approach, obviously not impressed with her appearance.  
  
"What?" she asked, holding up her arms a little. "I didn't kill anyone last night. . . except. . ." Ryu laughed as Link and the princess blanched. "I was kidding! I'm innocent!" *Of this crime * she added silently.  
  
""I didn't want to bother you last night because I knew you rode up here, but do you want a dress to change into? Those clothes aren't very becoming. . ." Zelda said, eyeing the battered clothes.  
  
"A dress?! Are you kidding? Er. . . sorry. That's just not my style. I'll just keep my assa- I mean, my clothes, okay?" her face paled as she realized what she had almost said. Link noticed her expression and narrowed his eyes.  
  
Zelda looked slightly put out and failed to see Ryu's pale face and wide eyes. Link tried to inquire after Ryu's near-slip but she got up, made hasty excuses, and took off for the barn.  
  
*I'm being careless! I'm not the same person I was before, the friend of Zelda, I'm an assassin now! I need to remember to keep my guard up. . . it's hard with those two around. Even if Link and I hate each other's guts, he and Zelda are pretty easy to talk to. . . too bad I have to kill him. But if I blow this, Gannondorf will have my head! I'll have to leave a note and ride along, I'll come back for Link someday soon. * she thought as she quickly bridled (A/N: she has no saddle, only a bridle. She is too arrogant to use a saddle even in the rain. Slippery!) Kat and rode out into the morning rain. She looked up. "Perfect weather for a perfect day, eh?" she questioned her mount. He only shook the cold, cold rain from his coat. As they neared the edge of the forest Kat snorted as someone came running up to them in the rain.  
  
"Zelda requests you back to the castle," Link said as he reached them, grabbing Kat's reins. He attempted to lead them back, and thought he was succeeding until Ryu pulled Kat into a rear.  
  
"I will do no such thing. Goodbye," she said, arrogance edging her voice. Kat let out a trumpet (A/N: That's what stallions do. A loud, thunderous, shrill neigh.) and before his forelegs touched ground he was pivoted around and kicked into a fast gallop, effectively tearing the wet leather reins from Link's hands.  
  
"Wait!" he called as she sped into the mist, towards the forest.  
  
A/N: eeeee. . . cliffhanger. . . I think. I do a lot with the horses because I know a lot about them and riding them. She's not that bad, you'll most likely see! Well, feedback, please! R&R! 


	6. Near Miss

A/N: I hate interrupting the story, but I'd like to thank the reviewers. *nodnod* you know, reviews make you feel good. Like you're making someone be less bored for 10 minutes. Then when they keep reading they get bored. -_-;; whatever.  
  
Oh, well. For all you faithful readers. . . *looks around, nobody there.* uh, well, for anyone reading, please ask me about stuff you're confuzzed about. I will answer. If I can. The logic may get confusing. So tell me. I'll help you all.  
  
Okay, that was long. . . on to the story! ~~~~~*****~~~~~*****  
  
Link's wet boots slid on the floor of the barn and he stumbled, slowing his pace to a walk, then picked up a run again and stopped in front of Epona's stall. He smiled grimly as he grabbed the tack off the rack next to the stall door and entered the stall. He quickly saddled and bridled her, explaining the situation as he went.  
  
Epona listened to the sound of his voice, dancing as he tightened the girth of the saddle, and opened her mouth for the bit.  
  
Link led her out of the building, swung on, and took off at a gallop.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ryu, on the other hand, was enjoying a scenic walk just off the path in the grass. She heard the hoofbeats long before Link was upon them. She kept Kat steady at a walk and waited for Link to thunder past.  
  
"Yo! Linkie-Boy!" she yelled as she let an arrow fly at his neck.  
  
Link saw the arrow as if in slow motion, it whizzed past about three inches away from his throat. He had pulled Epona around in a circle when he heard Ryu shout, therefore accidentally avoiding the arrow.  
  
Ryu avoided accusation by saying how there were always people sneaking around in the forest.  
  
"Whether or not you're telling the truth doesn't really matter right now. . . will you come back to the castle now like I asked?" Link asked, rubbing his neck where the arrow flew past.  
  
Ryu nodded, "Fine. . . lead the way, Link," she said, gesturing in front of her. He nodded with a relieved expression on his face and walked on in front of her, talking about something or other, Ryu wasn't really listening.  
  
She silently pulled one of her daggers from her belt, the straight one, for throwing. She held the blade between her fingers and touched the hilt to her cheekbone, lining it up under her eye. She squinted and looked for a good place to toss it at. Ryu decided the throat would be easiest to make a fatal shot. The water dripped off the edge of the knife, sliding down Ryu's face.  
  
She put down the reins, guiding Kat only with her legs. She prepared to throw the dagger. Kat was accustomed to this, she was going to kill the one on the mare in front of him. . . Wait! She was going to kill him! If her throw fell short, the blade would plunge into Epona's hindquarters! As Ryu let the blade go, he neighed a warning to Epona, and did a half-buck.  
  
Epona shied and danced off the path. Link's eyes widened as he saw the dagger thud into the trunk of the tree that was formerly in front of him. He heard a stricken cry, not one of pain, but frustration and surprise.  
  
Ryu landed on her right shoulder, the rest of her body hitting the wet ground a split-second later, and a cry was forced through her lips as she felt the impact.  
  
Link saw her hit the ground, and heard her second cry. He watched, unmoving, as she opened her eyes and visibly thought about where and how much she hurt. (A/N: if you've ever fallen like that, you know what I mean.)  
  
She saw Link watching her and stood up, groaning, looking up into the rainy sky, the rain splattering on her muddy face (A/N: she did land face up, but when you land in the mud, it goes SPLASH!) "KAT! What by the mages did you do that for? Bucking for no reason in the middle of a trail!" she suddenly yelled as her gaze turned from the sky to Kat.  
  
Link struggled to keep his laughter in, the look on her face was too funny. She obviously hadn't fallen off in a very long time.  
  
Epona and Kat were not so discreet, however. They stared for a moment, then suddenly burst out in horsey laughter. Ryu's eyes narrowed as she saw Link beginning to laugh also. She slapped Kat on the rump and he snapped to military-like attention. She jumped on and Kat danced under her strong leg and restraining hand. "You're next. . ." she directed this comment towards Link and Epona, but didn't specify which would get slapped.  
  
As they began to prepare to set off once again, the elf on the pony trotted into the part of the forest Link and Ryu were standing in.  
  
A/N: uh. . . who could that be? I'll update soon. . . but I NEED feedback before I can post the next chapter. It has some logic issues. So. . . R&R! Ja ne! 


	7. Ryu

Okay, there's no 'chapter' this time. . . this is all author's notes. . . enjoy  
  
I forgot to tell you all what Ryu looked like! ^-^; Well, here it is: tall, long-limbed, and a bandanna tied around her head (you might say ninja- style, though she's no ninja.) Her blonde bangs would fall in her face past her chin if she didn't wear the bandanna, she doesn't like getting her hair cut. The rest of her hair falls to different lengths. It's kind of layered, in the back it falls to her shoulder blades and to the sides it angles shorter. It's not neatly cut at all, though. She wears a short-sleeved jacket over a shirt with sleeves to her knuckles, and tight leather gloves, no fingers on them. (hey, I just found out Link wears 'em too! Go figure. . . ) She wears a single obvious dagger at her belt and tight riding pants. (Hey, you'd wear tight pants too if you rode bareback all the time, pity the horse!) She also constantly wears riding boots. (I have no idea how she can walk and run, even though they aren't knee-high boots.)  
  
Okay. . . I have no idea how to explain this part unless you've seen the character design part of the 3rd disk in the Fellowship of the Ring. In Legolas's section, it has the back view of his quiver of arrows. There is this wooden, I suppose, frame that holds his White Knives. You would think the swords were just slung across his back, but they are held in place. Uh. . . well, Ryu has about the same thing, except it's just one sword. The leather straps of her quiver (arrows) criss-cross her chest, concealing other various weapons under her jacket. Inside her quiver she has a shortbow and, obviously, her arrows. Her artillery may change around, I don't know yet.  
  
On her arm up near her shoulder I think she has a tattoo, I'm not quite sure yet, but it may show up later. You can guess if you like, 'cause I'm not telling! Both of her ears have 3 piercings, each have one near the top, the other two are on the earlobes. She used to be not so. . . uh. . . not- girly. . . before she disappeared. I'm not sure yet what age she is, I'm thinking she's 18 or something but I don't know if I can write at that level. Uh. . . I think she's just whatever age Link is gonna be.  
  
Well I need you nice people out there to review and tell me if I need to fix something! I want to know what you think of her appearance as a Hylian! (she's not supposed to look totally Hylian)  
  
I know some of you are wondering about some of the relationships in this story. . . well, I'm not exactly sure yet about the Gannondorf thing yet, but I just needed a quick excuse.  
  
The thing of it is for Ryu is that she was a very nice, respectable person before her disappearance. Now, she's running into all these people that know her as the nice Ryu, not this cold assassin. And it's all throwing her off her cold attitude and mile-high self-guard system. (Trust no one, tell no one anything truthful about yourself.) She's trying to be two people at the same time to make sure she isn't found out, nice Ryu so no one suspects anything, and the cold-hearted one so she doesn't let anything slip. She didn't expect to run into so much trouble, she thought she'd only have to run an arrow through Link and be done with it, instead she runs into all these people. It's a bit overwhelming for her.  
  
Oh, yeah, I have a bit of a choice for you all. This could decide where the story goes. I decided Link is outnumbered to the girls, so I created a guy OC. I'm thinking of naming him Jenalle, (jen-all) but it doesn't sound quite right for him. I have several drawings going of him, and by this one study I drew of his face, I quickly found out I don't ever want to get caught in one of his glares. *shivers* God, I need a website. . . oh, well. Also, do you guys want any pairings? I was thinking Ryu/Je but I don't want to exclude Link. . . Kai's a young teenager, so she stays single. . . well, I'm open to suggestions/votes on the matters at hand. Also, I'm open to suggestions on the plot.  
  
I do have another chapter or two written, I think, but I thought I would post this first. Well. . . like I said, review and/or vote please! Ja'ne! 


	8. Enter Kai!

"There you are! I've been looking for you!" the elf said as she stopped in front of Kat.  
  
Ryu's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "For over a day?! How badly did you need to talk to me? Are you insane?" Ryu asked.  
  
"I was ordered to find you by-" the elf said.  
  
Ryu's eye twitched and she laughed nervously as she cut the red-haired elf off, "Ahaha. . . Shut up! I get it, Kai! I get it!" Ryu hopped back off Kat and walked over to the mounted Kai, an unnoticeable limp in her left leg, and quietly said, "This is the guy I'm supposed to kill! You-" she faltered when she saw Kai's face. "Uh, Ganondorf didn't tell you what I'm doing for him, did he. . . "  
  
Kai shook her head, obviously disturbed and surprised at what Ryu had been saying. Ryu frowned, a troubled look on her face. *Nice job, Ganondorf. . . send in uninformed messengers! Blow the mission! * Ryu growled slightly as she thought this, also thinking about how Kai could have ruined the whole plan accidentally by letting something slip to Link. "Oh, well. Forget what I said. . . what did the master need me for?" Ryu asked, wincing at the word 'master'.  
  
"Nothing, really. I was supposed to find out whether you had completed your task yet. I didn't realize it was you and the horse when you nearly ran me over before. . . what happened to the rest of the team? There were two others when you left. And you know Ganondorf isn't happy with you taking his best stallion, Ryu," Kai said, eying Kat as she spoke.  
  
"Ah, well, Ganondorf can go to the Golden Land. And I have absolutely no idea where the rest of them are. . . I lost 'em before I reached even the middle of the forest," Ryu said, carelessly resting her arms behind her head. (A/N: The Golden Land is the dark world of Hyrule, like a parallel universe. In the game A Link to the Past, nobody has ever returned from the Golden Land. Except Link of course!)  
  
"HELLO?! Are you two coming back to the castle? It's still raining, you know! I would like to go get dry, even if you two don't! you can talk at the castle," Link said irritably, feeling soaked and very left out.  
  
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Let me get back on Kat," Ryu said. She walked over to the left side of Kat, and leaned forward to rest her head on his side. "Now, how am I going to pull this off?" she asked into his fur. She sighed in resignation and grasped a handful of mane in her right hand and gripped his back with her left. She bounced three times on her toes and pushed off hard from the ground. "One, two, three, HUP!" she said. They began walking three abreast, Ryu on the right, Kai in the middle, and Link on the far left.  
  
"Ryu! Why are you riding so close to me? I could touch your foot on the other side!" Kai said, referring to the fact her pony was short and she could reach under Kat's belly and grab Ryu's right foot they were so close.  
  
"Because she's not using her left leg, she's letting it hang, and pressing with her right," Link said, peering over Kai's pony. "Did you hurt it when you fell?"  
  
"Ryu fell!" Kai laughed when she heard this. "You never fall off!"  
  
Ryu shot Kai a death glare. "A one-time thing. And to Link, yes and no. I did hurt my leg when I fell, but I hurt it more when I pushed off the ground. I can't use it at the moment. Now let's just drop it till we get to the castle," Ryu said in a tired voice.  
  
****  
  
A/N: end of chapter! okay, so Kai's a little disillusioned about Gannondorf and just about everyone connected with him. It's not really her fault. . . she's pretty young. I'm sorry about mentioning her in the author's notes last chapter, I thought this one was up already. Sorry. _. You know how it is sometimes.  
  
If you listened to the thing about how Ryu's guard is failing last chapter, that's why she allowed all this stuff to happen to her. If her mind was as sharp as it should have been she could've avoided all these slip-ups.  
  
I know my chapters are kind of short, but that's just how I write. I'm kind of losing my thread here. . . maybe introducing Je (full name: Jenalle) will freshen the story.  
  
Er, I may switch Ryu's name to something else soon. I'm tired of the Japanese names in Hyrule. Kai's name also. And if I go with my first choice for Ryu, it will be Sarie. No, it's not a rip-off of Saria, it happens to be my real name in Quenya Elvish. (LotR) I need a transition point, a reason to change the names. If any of you brilliant people have any ideas, they are welcome. And Je's name is not final yet! R&R! Ja! 


End file.
